Casino Glossary - General Casino Dictionary

Besides the specific lingo for different casino games, there are terms used in the whole casino environment. Here, you'll learn the most important casino words used on the floor in brick-and-mortar casinos and in online gambling establishments.

Banker: The dealer in card games. In some games, players are allowed to act as banker.

Bankroll: A player's bankroll is the sum of money he/she has set aside for gambling activities.

Bet: To place a wager

Betting Limits: The lowest and highest amount you're allowed to wager at in a specific game.

Black Book: A list used in Las Vegas with people not allowed in the casinos.

Bonus: A sum of money given to casino players for various reasons. There is a diversity of bonus types: Sign-up bonus, refer-a-friend bonus, loyalty bonus etc. More info on different bonus variations

Burn Card: A playing card that is taken from the top of the deck and then is discarded.

Card Counting: A technique mostly used in blackjack. Card counters track and remember cards that have been in play and then raise the stakes when the odds are in their favor. Read more about card counting

Cut Card: A blank plastic card used to cut the deck in games like blackjack.

D'Alembert System: A betting system in which you raise the bet one unit when winning and lower one unit when losing.

Deposit: A transaction to an online-casino account, usually through credit card or online-payment services.

Drop Box: The tray on a gambling table where you put chips and chips etc.

eCOGRA: Abbreviation for e-Commerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance, which is a company that monitors casino and poker sites and assure that they offer fair games. Read more about casino security

Edge: An advantage over the casino and vice versa.

Eye-in-the-Sky: The surveillance cameras located above casino tables.

Flash Casino: A piece of online-casino software created with the programming language Flash. It allows you to play in the web browser.

Gambler's Fallacy: The incorrect belief that isolated events may affect each other. Read more about the Gambler's Fallacy

Gamblers Anonymous: A Group that supports people with gambling problems.

Hot Streak: A period with a lot of winning.

House: The casino or any other casino-game provider.

House Edge: The advantage the casino has on a wager.

Jackpot: A large prize for an uncommon outcome - usually offered on slot and video poker machines.

Long Run: The point where fluctuations, winning and losing streaks, have evened out.

Martingale System: A betting system in which you double your wager after every lost bet.

Mechanic: A cheating dealer

Multiplayer Casino: A casino that offers games where you play together with other real players and not just against the dealer.

Negative Expectation: A losing bet, in the long run, offers negative expectation. In the long haul, most casino games give players negative expectation.

Odds: The ratio of a specific event to occur. If your odds are 1 to 3, you will win 25% of the times.

Payoff: The payoff you'll get on a specific wager. Compare this with the odds to see how profitable, or unprofitable, a bet is.

Payout Percentage: This figure shows how much the casino will pay out in the long run. If a slot machine has 99.5 % payout, you'll on an average lose 50 cent on every $100 wagered.

Progressive Jackpot: A Jackpot with many slots or video poker games linked to it. When someone makes a bet in any of these machines, a small percentage goes to a collective jackpot, which can become really huge. Read more about progressive jackpots.

Punto Banco: European version of Baccarat

Rake: The money the house deducts from poker cash-game pots, usually around 5%.

RNG: Abbreviation for random number generator - a computer that randomly decides the outcome of a casino game.

Shill: A player employed by the casino who fills up empty seats.

Shoe: A wooden box used for holding playing cards at, for instance, a blackjack table.

Shuffle Tracking: A technique deployed by blackjack card counters, which can make them locate important cards.

Tournament: A game with several players, most common in poker. Nowadays, however, you can find slots and blackjack tournaments as well.

True Odds: The real odds for something to happen, which results in a break-even game between the player and the casino.

Vig: Abbreviation for Vigorish - a commission taken by the casino

Wager: A bet

Wild Card: A joker used in some card games that can be used to complete a hand.